Another Ball, Another Chance
by Elinea
Summary: A ceremony and ball are going to be held to commemorate the Battle of Hogwarts and the memory of the fallen and Hermione wonders if this ball will be better than the last one. Post-DH, slight AU. Fred/Hermione one-shot.


Alright, I have finally finish writing this. It's an One-Shot about one of my favorite HP paring: Fred & Hermione.

This is the first time I write for the HP fandom and english isn't my first language either so try to not be to harsh on my writing though I gladly accept constructive comments. It's also follow more the book than the movie.

Disclaimer: Sadly Harry Potter don't belong to me but to J.K Rowling (otherwise Fred wouldn't have died)

Main Paring: Fred/Hermione

Side Parings:Harry/Ginny, Neville/Luna, George/Angelina & Ron/Lavender

Important: This story is slightly AU for two reason: first, Fred is still alive and second, Hermione and Ron never kissed during the battle of Hogwarts. Also, there is a small, let's say, 'crossover' with _Ballet Shoes_ but you will understand while reading.

_'Hermione's thoughts'_

I hope you enjoy this short story.

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><p><em><span>Ball in commemoration of the Battle of Hogwarts<span>_

_By Anya Heart_

_This July 31th, day of the eighteenth birthday of Harry James Potter, will takes place a ball at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to commemorate the victory of the Chosen One against the Dark Wizard know as Lord Voldemort._

_Before the ball, a ceremony will takes place where six young wizards and witches, who had an active role during the war and the downfall of the Death Eaters and their so-called Dark Lord, will each receive an Order of Merlin, First Class. _

_The six wizards and witches are the following:_

_- __Harry James Potter:__ For continuing the fight without losing one once of hope and for putting an end to the war by defeating Voldemort_

_- __Ronald Weasley:__ For helping Harry Potter in his quest and for his personal fight during the last battle and defeating well-know dangerous Death Eaters like Rodolphus Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov._

_- __Hermione Granger:__ For helping Harry Potter in his quest and for using her incredible knowledge of magic to save the lives of countless wizards and witches dueling during the Battle of Hogwarts._

_-__ Ginevra Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood:__ For organizing the Resistance at Hogwarts against the Death Eaters who had taken control of the school despite the danger they were in and their bravery during the battle (Young Ginevra and Luna being both under age witches)._

_"The ball will be by invitation only for the guests and the reporter too" announced the New Ministry of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. This announcement has been made at the request of Harry Potter to prevent the apparition of a certain reporter during the ball._

Hermione Granger was reading the article in the Daily Prophet without great surprise. Two days ago, she had received an invitation to the ball from the minister and yesterday Ginny had sent her a letter saying that she, along Harry and Ron, had received one too. Ginny also said in her letter that Neville and Luna had got theirs invitations as well. The young witch put down the newspaper on her desk and she lay down her bed. Her mind begun to drift to the Battle of Hogwarts. There has been so many deaths and so many close calls. She could still feet the heat from the burning Room of Requirement. She could still see Harry lying motionless into Hagrid's arms looking dead. And she could still hear the sound of the explosion who had almost take away Fred's life. Hermione closed her eyes.

'_If I hadn't try to push him out of the way, if I hadn't act by instinct and cast the shield charm, Fred would probably be...'_

She shook away her thoughts. She shouldn't be thinking of that. Fred was alive and well though she doubted that he was perfectly well again even if it had been nearly three months since his near-death experience and he acted like it had never happened. However, she doubted anybody could fully recover from a near-death experience. She still had nightmares of what happened at Malfoy Manor.

Her thoughts turned to to the incoming ball led in honor of the survivors and the victims of the war. She knew she had to attend. She just couldn't turn down Kingsley's invitation not when she knew that the others were going even Harry who hated his fame and any publicity event linked to it. It was just that the last ball she had went to was a complete disaster. Ron and her had one of their biggest rows during the Yule Ball but nothing had change after. They had acted like their argument about Victor had never happened. Even after Ron's departure and return during the Horcruxes Hunt or during the final battle when they thought they weren't going to survive.

_'Perhaps it's better that way after all it had been seven years since they met each other and nothing happened but denial. Heck ! Even after the whole fiasco with Lavender nothing happened. Ron was still acting the same way around me he did when we were first years. Even Harry realized his feelings for Ginny and admitted them before Ron and he was the one to grow up without parents to give him advices on this kind of things. Maybe I should stop to wait for Ron to come around and try finding someone else.'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock to her door.

"Yes ?"

The door opened and Hermione's mother, Jean Granger, was standing in the doorway.

"Hermione dear, can I talk to you ?"

"Yes, of course mum !" Hermione replied getting up to sat on the edge of her bed. Her mother closed the door and sat next to her.

Things were still a bit awkward between her and her parents but they understood why she had change theirs memories because there were no way they could have defend themselves against the Death Eaters. After the battle had ended along with the war, she had wanted to go to search for her parents as soon as possible and she talked to Kingsley about it but he had warned her that the charm she had placed on them maybe too strong to be reversed. She was heartbroken when she told Harry, Ron and Ginny then Harry made a proposition to her that shocked her: to use the Elder Wand to restore Hermione's parents memories before putting it back into Dumbledore's tomb. And it had worked which wasn't really surprising since Harry was the true master of the Elder Wand and could use it's full power. She was really grateful to Harry. She was brought out of her daydreaming by her mother's voice.

"Hermione ? Are you with me ?"

"Yes ! Don't worry, I was just lost in my thoughts." Hermione replied. "What do you want to talk me about ?"

"I want to talk about the ball."

"Oh" was Hermione's only answer. She wasn't too surprised that her mother want to talk about it especially since she hadn't brought up the subject since she had receive the invitation.

"I was wondering if you had an idea about the kind of dress you want to wear." Jean said slowly knowing that balls weren't the favorite thing of her daughter.

"I don't really know. I only have one dress for that kind of events but she had too much memories of the Yule Ball. Good and bad ones." She added the last part in a whisper thinking of Victor and Ron.

"Then I have exactly what you need." Her mother told her with a smile. She got up and went to the door indicating her daughter to follow her. They left Hermione's bedroom and went to attic. There, Jean took two box, one very large and another much smaller, and put them on a nearby table.

"What's inside ?" Hermione asked a little confused.

"Only one way for you to found dear." Her mother replied with a smile. Taking the hint, Hermione opened the largest box and stand there in awe. Inside was a beautiful dress which seems to come from an another time. The dress was a beautiful midnight blue with silver glittering strips at the top. Jean took the dress into her hands and hold it to her daughter.

"Why don't you try it on ?"

Hermione did what she had been told and get dressed. She found that the dress fit her perfectly. It was like it had been made for her. She looked at her mother.

"Where did you find it ?"

"This dress belonged to my own mother. I don't know if you remember her, you were very young when she died. Her name was Pauline Andrews but she was more know by her maiden name, Pauline Fossil."

"The well-know actress ?"

"Yes. She wore that dress the night her life change forever. As well has this." Hermione's mother added while opening the smaller box. She took the content and showed it to her daughter. It was a necklace with midnight blue gems similar to sapphires circle with silver strips similar to the ones of the dress. It really was beautiful.

"Your grandmother was only sixteen that night. The dress you are wearing was made her adoptive parent and the latter former nanny. Both of them brought this necklace with some money they managed to save as a sort of good luck gift for Pauline."

Hermione listened to her mother's tale without saying anything. She had very few memories of her maternal grandmother being only four when she had died but she remembers a very kind woman.

"You're really beautiful into it Hermione."

"Thanks mom." She said with a blush. "Why do you show it to me ?"

"Because I think you should wear it for the incoming ball. After all, it had brought good luck to your grandmother. Maybe it will do the same for you."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the mother's words. Maybe she was right, she could at least give it a try.

~o~

Hermione was sitting at one of the tables inside the Great Hall. The sitting was similar to the Yule Ball's one except it wasn't made of ice or only colored in white. The tablecloths were of the colors of the four Hogwarts Houses: green with silver outlines for Slytherin, yellow with black outlines for Hufflepuff, blue with bronze outlines for Ravenclaw and red with gold outlines for Gryffindor. Some had been angered when they saw Slytherin's colors and Harry retorted that not all Slytherins were evils and that bad wizards could come from each house and, to make his point, he had only said four names as example: Severus Snape, Regulus Black, Andromeda Tonks and Peter Pettigrew. Let's just say that everyone didn't say anything else after that.

Taking her gaze away from the tables, Hermione looked at the dance floor. The ceremony had ended a half-hour ago and now everyone was chatting in small groups or dancing. Her eyes fell on Harry and Ginny who were dancing together. She couldn't help but giggle. It looked like Harry had improved his dancing since their fourth year. In the corner of her eyes, Hermione could see Mrs Weasley looking at her daughter and almost son with a motherly smile. The Weasley matriarch was probably happy that Harry will officially be part of her family. Her attention was draw by long blond hair which passed in front of her. She first thought of Fleur but it was in fact Luna who was just beginning to dance with Neville and behind them there was George and Angelina. Hermione smiled. She was happy her friends found their others but something crossed her mind. Where was Fred ? During the ceremony, she had spot both twins sitting together but now it was like Fred had disappear. She looked around hoping to find him when she saw something which shocked her. It was Ron and he was kissing LAVENDER. She felt her eyes filled up with tears. She dashed out of the Great Hall without looking back. She didn't care if someone saw her, she was too angry to care. After walking a bit, she found herself in the courtyard. She sat on one of the bench and let her tears flow. She was too upset that she didn't hear someone coming and sitting next to her.

"Hermione ?"

She looked up and her gaze met Fred's one. She tried to hid her tears but it was too late.

"Hey, what's wrong ?"

"Go ask your git of little brother !" She spat bitterly. "And why do you care ?" She added harshly. She regretted her words the moment they came out of her mouth.

"Fred, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." But Fred placed one of his finger on Hermione's mouth to made her stop talking.

"Stop apologizing ! You have every right to be upset especially if the cause is Ron. Just don't imitate Harry by taking your anger at someone else." He said with a small smile. Hermione let out a small laugh remembering her fifth year and the summer before. She dried her remaining tears and offered Fred a small smile.

"Thank you." She said.

"For ?"

"Making me smile and feeling better."

"No problem and I would rather see you smile than brooding over my dear little brother."

Hermione smiled a real smile this time. Fred always managed to make feel better when she was upset because of Ron. She didn't know how he do it but she was happy when he did it. She looked at him and noticed he was wearing casual clothes instead of dress robes.

"Fred ? Why aren't you wearing your dress robes ? Everyone does. Even Ron." She had the last part while suppressing a snort. Ron may have new dress robes, he still didn't like to wear them. He always says it's remind him to much of the Yule Ball.

"Well..." Fred begun hesitantly. "I had a rough night so I... I sleep most of the day... and I woke up not long before... before the ceremony begun."

Hermione could easily sense he was lying for the most part but she didn't say anything. She understood why he probably didn't want to talk about what happened at least not now. Though she still had one question for him.

"And, where have you been ? I saw you with George during the ceremony but after you had disappear."

"Were you looking for me Granger ?" Fred teased her.

"What ?" Hermione said blushing. He had caught her of guard.

"I asked if you were looking for me. Otherwise how would have you realized I wasn't in the Great Hall. Everybody else is too caught in their conversation to notice."

Hermione felt her cheeks burning. She didn't know what to to tell him mostly because she had indeed been looking for him. Fred must have notice her discomfort because he changed the subject of their conversation though he didn't answer her original question. She realized that, like for her first question, he didn't want to talk about it.

"Can I ask you something ?"

"Yes." She replied a bit surprised he asked her permission first.

"Where did you get this dress and this necklace ?"

"Oh that !" Hermione touched her necklace with her left hand. "They had belong to my maternal grandmother. My mother told me they had brought good luck to her and she hoped it will be the same for me." She turned her head towards the Entrance Hall and sighed. "But I fear it didn't bring me luck quite the opposite in fact." She said thinking of Ron and Lavender.

"You shouldn't said that." He told her with a mysterious smile.

"And why ?" She asked sceptically.

"For two reasons. First, the ball is far from over and second, no one ever said something about you being obliged to end up with Ron."

Hermione looked at him incredulously. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. But, she didn't stop him when he begun to lean closer to her nor when he kissed her. The kiss was sweet and very different from the one she had with Victor. Without realizing, she begun to kiss him back. The kiss lasted for an another minute before they broke apart. They stay like this for a small moment none of them saying anything. Then Fred got up and hold out his left hand to Hermione. She smiled as she took it and she let him take her back inside.

_'Maybe Mum was right. Maybe this ball will turn into something else. I will just have to wait and see.'_

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><p>For those who are wondering about Ron and Lavender, in the book it was never said that Lavender died of her injuries like it was state in the movie, as far I remember at least. Also, if she had indeed survived, I think her seventh year would have made her more mature and responsible than she was before and she would be less 'girly'.<p>

I think that all. Reviews are welcome. Tell me if you like it.


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